Rotary metal-cutting-off device.



G. GORTONL METAL CUTTING-OFF DEVICE.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 110.5,1910. 7 v Patented'June 4, 1912. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

f T A m w i:%\ \y G. GORTON. noun METAL CUTTING-OFF nnvwn.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1910.

WAW/

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D. c.

GEORGE GORTON, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

ROTARY METAL-GUTTING-OFF DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1912.

Application filed December 5, 1910. Serial No. 595,812.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE GoRToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, county of Racine, Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in R0- tary Metal-Outting-Oif Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in rotary metal-cutting-off devices, and the objects and nature of my invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following description of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I now consider my preferred embodiment from among other formations and arrangements within the spirit and scope of my invention.

An object of the invention is to provide improved means for relieving the blades of internal or central-opening cutting saws of the direct shock and thrust of the inwardly projecting metal cutters carried by such blades and to reduce to the minimum danger of damage to such blades by the breakage of such cutters, and at the same time to provide means whereby such cutters can be most rigidly and firmly secured in the blades against lateral strain as well as thrust in the plane of rotation of the blade.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means providing for the radial adjustment of the cutters of rotary metal-cutting-ofi devices as well as uarding against injury to the blade receiving such cutters in the event of abnormal radial strain or thrust on thecutters.

The invention consists in certain novel features in construction, and in combinations and arrangements of parts as more fully and particularly set forth and pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings; Figurel, is an elevation of a rotary metal cutting off element or saw constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2, is a detail View of one of the thrust blocks. Fig. 3, is a detail view of one of the wedges. Fig. 4, is a detail view of one of the cutters, partially broken away to show the soft metal stop pin projecting from the outer end thereof, portions of the blade and adjacent thrust blocks being shown. Fig. 4c, is a detail elevation of portions of the blade thrust blocks and a cutter, showing a modified Wedge arrangement. Fig. 5, is a radial section on the line Fig; 5, is a corresponding tion on the line 7-7, Fig. 1. Fig. 8, is a detail elevation of portions of the blade and a modified cutter formation.

In the drawings, 1, is the circular saw blade having the central work receiving opening 10. This blade is adapted to be reniovably secured completely around its .circumferential or outer edge portion to a suitable rotary hub or drum provided with a large exterior gear rigid therewith and driven at the desired speed by any suitable mechanism. This rotary drum is mounted in a suitable feed carriage actuated by suitable feed works to carry the blade across the stock or other work being severed by the out ting ofi machine.

At uniformly spaced intervals around the work receiving opening 10, the blade is provided with similar cutter pockets 11, diverging outwardly and at their inner ends open into the work receiving opening and all radiating from the center of said opening or from the axis of rotation of the blade. These pockets are alike in formation-and dimensions, and each has straight opposite longitudinal edge walls 13, and at its outer end each pocket is formed with a flat abutment or stop wall 12. These pockets are formed to interchangeably receive cutters 2. The

cutters of a set for a blade are alike in form and dimensions (excepting the cutting points thereof) and each consists of an oblong fiat block of hard (usually high speed) steel at its inner end having a hardened high speed steel (or other alloy) cutting point 20 or 20*. The flat body of each cutter is in thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the blade 1, and is formed with straight, usually about parallel, longitudinal edges 21. Each cutter is considerably longer than the depth (or length) of a pocket so that the cutters project inwardly a considerable distance beyond the blade pockets with their cutting points 20, 20?, arranged in the work receiving' opening at the desired distances from the center thereof.

The radial adjustment of each cutter is determined by a stop heel or projection in a modified formation of they I from the floor of the pocket.

outward longitudinal continuation of" the outer end of the cutter and resting or abutting against the'abutment or stop wall 12, forming the floor of the pocket. This stop heel or projection can be formed integral with the cutter, as shown at 22, Fig. 8, but I prefer to form the stop heel by a pin 23, driven into a longitudinal socket in the cutter end and projecting outwardly and longitudinally therefrom so as to abut at its outer end against wall 12, and hold the outer end of the cutter spaced a substantial distance These stop heels or pins 23, are sufficiently tight in the cutter sockets or are otherwise so secured therein against adjustment, as to be fixed and rigid therewith under normal working or operating conditions. However, the pins are so secured in the cutters as to permit removal thereof when it is desirable to substitute new or perfect pins under the conditions hereinafter recited.

The points of the cutters differ in length and width, that is, every alternate point 20 is slightly wider and shorter than the inter- Vening points 20. It is necessary, however, that all of the short point cutters be of the same length from point toheel or abutment, and that all of the long point cutters be of the same length from point to heel or abutment, so that all of the long points 2O will move accurately in the same circle I), Fig. 1, and all of the short points 20 will move in the same circle 0, Fig. 1. In this connection, it should be noted that in the construction illustrated, the cutter pockets are all of the same depth and the floors or abutments 12, thereof are all the same distance from the center of the work opening or aXis of rotation of the blade. Inasmuch as cutters of the same type are not in the process of manufacture always produced of the same length, and through use and sharpening the wear on cutters is not uniform and hence cutters become varied in length, it becomes necessary to provide means for radial cutter adjustment whereby the cutters can be set up in the blade for use with their points all properly positioned with respect to the axis of rotation and with their heels or stop ends all properly seated against the abutments 12.

I hence provide the projecting stop heels (22, 23, or the equivalent) whereby radial adjustment of an entire set of cutters can be accomplished quickly and economically by simultaneously or by one operation grinding the heels of the entire set. This can be accomplished by placing the full set of cutters, after their points have been sharpened for use, in a suitable portable holder or clamp rigidly holding the cutters together in parallelism with their heels projecting outwardly and their points against a gage lining them up in one plane for short point cutters and another plane for long point up in the blade, securing the cutters in the blade pockets cutters so arranged that the heels'o'f all the cutters should accurately terminate in the same plane when the short cutters are all of the same length. This fact can be determined and all of the heels of the set of cutters can be brought to termination in the one plane, by moving said clamp or holder to bring the grouped cutter heels into contact with the grinding surface of a plane or disk rotary grinder, as will be well understood by those,skilled in the art.

The cutter heels can be moved across the flat rotary grinding surface until each and every heel touches such surface, projecting heels being squarely ground off, whereupon the cutters will be accurately, quickly and simultaneously reduced to the desired uniformity in length and can be accurately set as to radialad'justment, by

with the cutter heels squarely and firmly seated against the pocket floor abutments 12.

In the example illustrated, I show the cutters projecting inwardly a substantial distance beyond the inner edge of the blade, that is beyond the blade pockets, and within the central opening of the blade, I provide a ring or annulus of abutting thrust receiving elements including the projecting inner portions of the cutters. For instance, this ring or annulus consists of the several spaced outters and intervening fillers or thrust blocks 3,.and looking or tightening wedges or keys 4. I show each cutter backed by a wedge 4,

arranged longitudinally thereof and driven outwardly into the cutter pocket between the rear edge of the cutter and the adjacent longitudinal edge wall of the pocket and keying and tightening the cutter in the blade pocket. Between each wedge and the next cutter to the rear, I arrange a thrust block 3, at its rear endabutting against the longitudinal front edge of the cutter (beyond its pocket) and at its front end abutting against the rear edge of the wedge beyond the pocket and thus backing the wedge. In the example illustrated, a thrust block and a wedge back the end of. each cutter projecting inwardly beyond the blade pocket, and the set of thrust blocks and wedges is in turn backed by the next cutter to 'the rear thereby forming a continuous thrust transmitting series around the work receiving opening to transmit the thrust on each cutter, while at work, through the thrust blocks to all the other cutters tribute the strain throughout the series of cutters, wedges and blocks and around the blade to prevent localization of thrust on any particular cutter and the portion of the blade immediately adjacent thereto. The thrust blocks are all similar and interchangeable, and the wedges are also alike and interchangeable.

The curved longitudinal edges 3O of the r and wedges to disthe curvature of the concaved inner edges 14,

same outwardly in the blade pocket, inasmuch as the detached piece of the cutter sometimes rolls or wedges back between the work and cutter end during the forward movement of the cutter. To relieve 7a the blade of such tremendous strain, I prefer to form the cutter stop heels 23 of a softer metal than that of which the blade and cutter body are composed so that under such tremendous abnormal endwise pressure on a cutter, the heel 23, thereof will compress or upset, thereby cushioning the blade from the cutter and permitting the cutter to move longitudinally and outwardly in the pocket until relieved of the 0 abnormal strain. I find pins 23, made of bronze well adapted for this purpose and capable of withstanding all normal strains.

When a pin 23' has been thus compressed or damaged it can by the application of the proper force, be pulled from the cutter to permit the substitution of a perfect pin. Also, if for any reason, the pin 23, of a cutter should become so short as to require excessive grinding of the pins of all the other cutters of a set to attain the desired uniformly in lengths, the unduly short pin can be pulled out of the cutter and a longer pin can be driven therein.

In Fig. 4, I show two short.wedges 4, substituted for the single long wedge 4, backing each cutter as shown in the preferred form. In this modified wedge arrangement, the wedge 4 is driven between the cutter and pocket wall to tightly lock the cutter therein, and the wedge 4, is driven vin between the cutter thrust block to tighten the ring of thrust sustaining elements.

I do not herein broadly claim a rotary 1 5 blade adapted to be secured around and exteriorly driven from its peripheral portion and having a central work receiving opening and cutter pockets uniformly spaced around and opening thereinto, in combination with cutters adapted to said pockets and'having high duty working points within said opening, and means for rigidly and removably locking said cutters to said blade to sustain the thrust thereof, as such structure is claimed in my co-pending application S. No.512,337 filed August 11, 1909, for cutting off saws. Also, I do not here-in broadly claim a structure wherein a continuous series of abutting thrust sustaining elements is arranged around the central work receiving opening of a blade having spaced pockets, said series comprising thrust blocks fitting the blade edge against lateral dislodgment, locking wedges, and cutters, the cutters extending into the pockets with the blocks tightened by the wedges and arranged between the projecting inner ends of the cutters, as such structure is broadly claimed in the co-pending joint application 139 thrust block longitudinally fit and conform to of the blade intervening between said pockets and said edges 30, 14, are usually flat and squarely abut as shown in Fig. 5. If desired, however, said edges can be longitudinally and relatively grooved and ribbed, see 14, 30, Fig. 5*, or otherwise formed to removably intermesh or interlock against transverse strain.

The engaging longitudinal edges of the cutters, wedges, and longitudinal walls of the blade pockets are also grooved and ribbed, or otherwise formed to removably intermesh or interlock to withstand trans verse strain. The same is true of the front and rear end (or radial) edges of the thrust blocks which are longitudinally ribbed or grooved to intermesh with the correspondingly oppositely formed longitudinal edges of the wedges and cutters to withstand lateral or transverse strain, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

In practice I prefer to make the thrust blocks slightly longer than the length of the concaved edge of the blade between two cutter pockets. For instance, I have made each thrust block two thousandt-hs of an inch (more or less) longer than the distance between two adjacent cutter pockets with the end in view of causing greater pressure between the thrust blocks, wedges and cutters, than between the cutters, wedges and portions of the blade between the cutter pockets, whereby certain advantages are attained.

It will be noted that the long wedges are driven outwardly into the cutter pockets and key the cutters tightly in the blade against play or looseness and to firmly withstand lateral thrust, and said wedges when driven tight also, and most rigidly, secure the thrust blocks against the cutters to form the complete tight ring of thrust sustaining and transmitting elements, held abutting under excessive pressure to relieve the blade proper.

In practice, I make the blade of dense tough steel, while the thrust blocks are made of hardened steel to thereby greatly increase their compression resisting strength. The wedges are also made of strong hardened (or partially hardened) steel to withstand heavy pressure and abuse.

The series of thrust elements not only supports and braces the cutters against breakage and relieves the blade, but should a cutter break the wedge and adjacent thrust block will sustain the shock and damage, and the wedges and blocks are comparatively inexpensive and can be easily re placed.

In the event of cutter point breakage, the cutter is often placed under tremendous longitudinal strain tending to force the i said short point of myself and Chas. R. Carpenter, S. No. 567,109, filed June 15,1910, for metal cutting ofl devices.

It is evident that within the scope of the claims .various changes, variations and modifications might be resorted to and hence I do not wish to limit all features of my invention to the foregoing disclosure as to structures, arrangements or materials.

What I claim is 1. A metal-cutting-oif saw comprising a blade having a central work receiving opening and formed with spaced cutter pockets arranged around said opening and formed with abutment floors equally spaced from the center of said opening, and cutters keyed in said pockets with cutting points in said opening and at their outer ends provided with fixed stop heels seated against said floors to determine the radial cutter adjustment, said heels adapted to be ground off, substantially as described.

2. A metal cutting-oft" saw comprising a blade having a central work receiving opening and formed around said opening with spaced cutter pockets, abutment floors equally spaced from the center of said opening, cutters adapted to said pockets, and means for removably securing the cutters in said pockets, said cutters having stop heels abutting against said floors to determine radial cutter adjustment, said heels being formed by pins fixed in said cutters against relative adjustment.

3. A metal cutting-0E saw comprising a blade having a central work receiving opening with spaced cutter pockets arranged around said opening, said pockets having abutment floors, cutters adapted to said pockets and having stop heels composed of material softer than the blade and body of the cutters, and means for securing the cutters removably in said pockets.

4:. A metal cutting-off saw comprising a blade having spaced cutter pocketsformed with abutment floors, removable cutters adapted to said pockets and having relatively soft metal stop heels adapted'to seat on said floors and compress under abnormal endwise pressure, and means for securing said cutters in said pockets.

5. A metal cutting-off saw comprising a blade having spaced cutter pockets formed with abutment floors uniformly spaced from the axis of rotation, a set of removable cutters adapted to said pockets, means for securing said cutters in said pockets, said set of cutters composed of a number of wide short point cutters alternating with a series of otherwise similar long narrow point cutters, all of said cutters having flat end. stop heels seated against said floors, all of cutters being of exactly the same length from heel end to point, and all of said long point cuttersbeing of exactly I the same length from heel end to said pockets having point, the radial adjustment of said cutters being determined by grinding said heel ends, substantially as described. 7

6. A metal cutting-off saw having a series of spaced cutter pockets, cutters adapted to said pockets and projecting therefrom, longitudinal wedges keying said cutters in said pockets, and thrust blocks between said keys and adjacent cutters, said blocks, cutters and wedges being held under pressure and abutting by said wedges.

7. A metal cutting-off saw comprising a blade having a central work receiving opening and a series of spaced cutter pockets arranged around said opening, cutters adapted to said pockets and projecting therefrom into said opening, thrust blocks arranged along the inner edges of the blade between said pockets, and long wedges arranged longitudinally of the cutters and keying the same in said pockets and locking said blocks between said cutters.

8. A cutting-off saw comprising a blade having spaced cutter pocket-s, radially arranged cutters adapted to said pockets, wedges keying the cutters in said pockets and to said blade, and a series of thrust ele ments arranged between the portions of said cutters projecting beyond said pockets and adapted to distribute the thrust throughout the series of cutters and elements and comprising means whereby said series of elements including said cutters are held abutting under pressure greater than the pressure in which the cutters are keyed in said pockets.

9. A metal cutting-off saw consisting essentially of a blade having a central workreceiving opening, said blade formed with pockets uniformly spaced around said opening and having abutment floors, a set of removable cutters adapted to said pockets and provided with means seated against said floors to determine cutter radial-adjustment, and means removably wedging said cutters in said pockets with their working pomts projecting inwardly into said opening, every alternate cutter having a short wide working point and every intervening cutter having a long narrow working point.

10. A blade having spaced cutter pockets, radially arranged cutters adapted to said pockets and projecting a substantial distance therefrom, thrust blocks arranged at the edge of the blade between the pockets, each block being in length greater than the distance between twopockets, and wedges driven between cutters and blocks to tightly lock together the thrust sustaining ring formed by the cutters, blocks and wedges.

11. A metal cutting off saw comprising a blade having a central work receiving opening, said blade formed with pockets uniformly spaced around said opening, all of said pockets having abutment floors at approximately the same radial distance from the axis of rotation, a set of removable cutters adapted to said pockets and having their inner working points in said opening, and means for cutters to said blade, all of said cutters having heels seated against said floors, said set of cutters composed of a number of cutters having wide shortpoints, and the remaining cutters having long narrow points and alternating With said short point cutters, all

wedging and locking said of said wide short point cutters being of approximately the same length from heel to point, and all of said long narrow point cutters being of approximately the same length from heel to point.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in "presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE GORTON.

Witnesses:

VCORA ERLANDsoN, EARL S. GnRE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

